—
296 SURVIVE KAI TAK CRASH
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1993
ALL 296 PASSENGERS AND CREW OF A CHINA AIRLINES JBT WERE RESCUED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE RUNWAY WHEN LANDING AT KAI TAK AIRPORT THIS (THURSDAY) MORNING.
ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI, THE PLANE SKIDDED AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND LANDED IN THE HARBOUR AT 11.39 AM.
TWELVE FIRE ENGINES, NINE AMBULANCES AND TWO FIREBOATS IMMEDIATELY SPED TO THE SCENE OF THE CRASH. THEY WERE JOINED BY POLICE LAUNCHES AND TWO MARINE DEPARTMENT BARGES WHICH HELPED SECURE THE FUSELAGE OF THE PLANE.
WITH THE SLIGHTLY-DAMAGED BOEING 747 AIRCRAFT WATER, RESCUE OPERATION TOOK LESS THAN THREE HOURS.
VISIBLE ABOVE
NURSES, WAS
A STAND-BY TEAM, COMPRISING 13 DOCTORS AND 60 UP AT QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL TO DEAL WITH CASUALTIES.
AMONG THE 23 RUSHED TO HOSPITAL, ONLY A 47-YEAR-OLD A 45-YEAR-OLD MAN WERE ADMITTED IN FAIR CONDITION.
SET
WOMAN AND
SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS AFTERNOON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION, MR DICK SEIGAL, SAID AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT, 29 FLIGHTS HAD BEEN DELAYED ON THE GROUND AND THAT 18 IN-COMING FLIGHTS HAD TO BE DIVERTED.
DESCRIBING THE RESCUE OPERATION BY FIRE SERVICES PERSONNEL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES, MR PETER CHEUNG, SAID THE AIRPORT FIRE SERVICES TEAM RECEIVED THE FIRST ALARM AT 11.37 AM AND "WE WERE ALREADY AT THE SCENE WITHIN A MINUTE"
·
"OUR AIRPORT FIREBOAT WAS ALSO MOBILE WITHIN MINUTES AND THE WHOLE RESCUE EXERCISE HAS BEEN MOST SUCCESSFUL AS EVERY SOUL ON BOARD WAS OUT WITHIN MINUTES AND ALL PERSONS ACCOUNTED FOR SOON AFTERWARDS."
MR CHEUNG SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RESCUE WORK, THERE WERE REPORTS THAT A SMALL CHILD WAS MISSING AND FROGMEN SPENT SOME TIME UNDERWATER SEARCHING.
AND THE WHOLE
"IT TURNED OUT ΤΟ BE A MISUNDERSTANDING OPERATION WAS CONCLUDED WITHIN HALF AN HOUR OR SO," HE ADDED.
THE AIRPORT WAS RE-OPENED AT 6 PM.
REGIONAL COMMANDER, KOWLOON EAST, MR PEDRO CHING, IN ANNOUNCING THE POLICE ROLE SAID THREE MARINE LAUNCHES AND FIVE SMALL CRAFTS FROM THE MARINE DEPARTMENT TOOK PART.
/"ON LAND,